Atmane Confident Against Hijikata in Straight Sets
French tennis player Terence Atmane secured his spot in the second round after defeating Rinky Hijikata 7:6(5), 6:2. The match lasted one hour and 22 minutes.
Atmane relied on a highly stable serve, hitting nine aces and winning an impressive 86% of his first-serve points. Although the first set was evenly matched and only decided in a tie-break (7:5), the Frenchman took complete control of the match in the second set. He converted two out of four break points while successfully saving the only break point he faced. Hijikata couldn’t find solutions in longer rallies, and Atmane deservedly won, taking a total of 68 points compared to his opponent’s 54.
Tsitsipas Eliminates Kovacevic After a Fierce Battle
Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas had to put in significantly more effort to overcome his first hurdle, defeating American Aleksandar Kovacevic in three sets, 7:6(9), 3:6, 6:3. The Center Court duel lasted nearly two hours (1:59).
Kovacevic put up a strong resistance against the favored Greek, largely thanks to an excellent serve that brought him 13 aces and an aggressive game resulting in 39 winners. The first set was extremely tense, with Tsitsipas winning it in a marathon tie-break (11:9). The American responded in the second set by breaking Tsitsipas’s serve and leveling the match. However, in the deciding third set, Tsitsipas raised his level of play, stabilized his serve (totaling 7 aces and 83% first-serve points won), and capitalized on a crucial break opportunity. The Greek finished the match with 33 winners and 27 unforced errors.
Marozsan Stops Hometown Representative Skatov
Hungarian Fabian Marozsan successfully eliminated local representative Timofey Skatov, recording a victory in two tight sets, 7:5, 7:6(4). The match lasted two hours and five minutes.
Although Marozsan hit an impressive 37 winners, the match was also marked by a high number of errors on both sides – the Hungarian made 37 unforced errors, while Skatov recorded 35. Skatov put up a tough fight, saving eight out of ten break points he faced, but Marozsan dominated at the net (winning 71% of points) and used a more offensive approach in the crucial moments, especially in the second-set tie-break.
Khachanov Dominant Against Sakamoto to Close the Center Court Program
Russian tennis player Karen Khachanov justified his role as the favorite and swiftly defeated Japanese qualifier Rei Sakamoto in straight sets, 6:2, 6:4. The match, which closed the program on Center Court, lasted only one hour and 16 minutes.
Khachanov played a fantastic match, offering the Japanese representative not a single break point opportunity. His serve was impeccable – he fired 9 aces without a single double fault and won an incredible 93% of points behind his first serve (28 out of 30). With 22 winners and only 6 unforced errors, Khachanov completely controlled the rhythm from the first to the last point. Sakamoto tried his best and managed to save seven out of ten break points, but with 33 unforced errors, he was far from posing a serious threat to the in-form Russian. Khachanov finished the match with a total of 70 points won, while Sakamoto stopped at 44.
Shimabukuro Causes the Biggest Upset by Eliminating Safiullin
The biggest surprise of the day took place on Court 1, where Japanese tennis player Sho Shimabukuro came from a set down to defeat the favored Russian Roman Safiullin with a score of 6:7(4), 6:4, 6:4. The battle lasted two hours and eight minutes.
Although Safiullin was extremely offensive, firing an impressive 18 aces and recording 43 winners, he paid the price for a slightly higher number of unforced errors (31 compared to the Japanese player’s 25). Shimabukuro played with incredible focus in the crucial moments, converting three out of six break point opportunities, while the Russian managed to break his serve only once out of four attempts. Just how dramatic and evenly matched the duel was is best illustrated by the fact that the Japanese player ultimately won exactly 100 points, just one single point more than Safiullin (99).
Follow all the latest results, match schedules, exclusive interviews, and original on-court photo galleries on our central ATP Almaty Open Hub Page .
